I think this poem borders on the realm of nursery rhymes, and should never have been selected for inclusion into the literature component for English in the PMR. I think the Ministry of Education should be more discerning in future and select poems that truly reflect positive values.
In this poem which is of unknown origin, it tells of the mischief in us when we were young ones. Afraid of punishment, we always refuse to admit anything whether of commission or of omission. So this poem tells about the character called Mr. Nobody who does not exist. He is just being mentioned as the fall guy and must take all the blame around the house as if he truly exists in every house.
Let us look at the poem again.
There are four stanzas.
Let us look at the kind of mischief done by Mr. Nobody .
In Stanza 1.
· He cracks plates.
In Stanza 2.
· He tears books.
· He does not close doors properly.
· He pulls off shirt buttons.
· He scatters pins.
· He never oils the door which squeaks.
In Stanza 3
· He puts damp wood upon the fire.
· He muddies and soils the carpets.
· He mislaid the newspapers.
· He also tosses the papers around.
In Stanza 4
· He leaves finger marks on the door.
· He leaves the blinds unclosed.
· He spills ink.
· He leaves his books lying all over.
He did most of these nasty things. He also failed in his responsibility to do some chores. These included not oiling the squeaky doors, leaving the blind unclosed that will fade the house curtains and leaving his boots everywhere in the house.
Interestingly, no one has ever seen Mr. Nobody. Yet he is described as a small and quiet person.
When we read this poem, we can reflect the childhood days where oftentimes we behave irresponsibly and like to point fingers at others. We have yet to grow up, take responsibilities and admit our mistakes or own up to our failings.
So, the moral of the story is that everyone must be responsible; for that truly will be a sign that you have grown up.
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